Gloves are knitted by using a small knitting machine such as a glove knitting machine. Usually, the glove is knitted starting from a fifth finger and then the other fingers are knitted in the order of fourth finger, third finger, and second finger. Then, the part from the fifth finger to the second finger is knitted as a single tubular body to form a four-finger body. After the knitting of the four-finger body, a thumb is knitted. Sequentially, the thumb and the previously knitted four-finger body are knitted together to form a five-finger body and, thereafter, a wrist is knitted, with which the knitting of the glove is ended.
The glove knitting machine is equipped with a holding bar, which is called a stitch holder, to provide a crotch overlap knitting for a fork of fingers (crotch), so as to prevent the crotch from being holed. The stitch holder is operated to hold two or three stitches of the stitches in the previously knitted finger at its part proximately of a finger to be knitted next, so as to put them into the state of being held in a knitting needle. The knitting needle holding those stitches is used for knitting the next finger. The stitch holder is shifted in order from the fifth finger to the second finger to perform this operation on a finger-by-finger basis. Then, after the knitting of the second finger, the four-finger body is knitted by feeding the knitting yarn round, during which the crotch stitches formed in the respective crotches are overlapped with each other. This knitting is performed for the crotch between the four-finger body and the thumb as well. The crotches of the glove thus knitted are given no holes and also are strengthened.
However, when the knitting of the four fingers from the fifth finger to the second finger and the knitting of the four-finger body are performed in the manner mentioned above, the glove 15 comes to have the crotches in a line P, as shown in FIG. 8. In one's real fingers, the crotch between the fifth finger and the fourth finger is positioned below the crotch between the fourth finger and the third finger and the crotch between the third finger and the second finger. Accordingly, the glove knitted in the manner as mentioned above has the disadvantage that when wearing, the glove does not fit closely to one's real fingers deep in the crotch between the fifth finger and the fourth finger.
In consideration of this disadvantage, the applicant previously proposed a knitting method in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 61(1986)-32420. According to this knitting method, the four fingers are knitted in the order starting from the fifth finger, by providing the crotch overlap knitting for all crotches but the crotch between the fifth finger and the fourth finger. Then, after the knitting of the fourth finger, third finger and second finger, the knitting of the three-finger body is performed. While the three-finger body is knitted, the fifth finger and the three-finger body are overlapped in the crotch therebetween by feeding a knitting yarn to the front and back knitting needles holding the stitches of the three-finger body at an end thereof adjacent to the crotch of the fifth finger. Then, the four-finger body thus formed and the thumb are knitted, followed by the knitting of the five-finger body. In this knitting method, since the fifth finger is overlapped with the three-finger body during the knitting of the three-finger body, the crotch between the fifth finger and the fourth finger can be positioned below the other crotches. Further, since the three-finer body and the fifth finger are overlapped by feeding the knitting yarn to the knitting needles holding the stitches of the three-finger body at the end thereof immediately adjacent to the crotch of the fifth finger, they are closely knitted without any undesirable holes, despite of no crotch overlap knitting being provided for the crotch.
However, in the glove knitted in the manner mentioned above, since the stitches of the fifth finger and the fourth finger at the ends thereof on the side on which they confront each other are overlapped with each other in the crotch, the overlapped part is strained when wearing, so that the fifth finger is drawn toward the three-finger body and the depressed crotch between the fifth finger and the fourth finger is raised up. Also, in the conventional knitted glove, since the crotch between the thumb and the second finger, or rather the crotch between the thumb and the four-finger body, is knitted in the crotch overlap knitting, the overlapped part is strained when wearing for the same reason, so that when wearing the glove, a wearer feels uncomfortable tightness at his/her thumb.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a knitted glove having crotches of high-fittedness and less-strained when wearing.